


hey we're taking on the world

by xuxikr



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Boys Being Boys, Coming of Age, Instruments, M/M, Polyamory, band!au, but they havent realized it yet, emo boyz, idk where this is going, kissing maybe, lots of singing, punk rock band!au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-31
Updated: 2018-08-03
Packaged: 2019-06-19 06:30:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15504357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xuxikr/pseuds/xuxikr
Summary: The first day of their summer vacation starts with Renjun and Jeno laughing at Jaemin. “A band? You want to start a band?”alternatively,It's summer vacation before their last year of high school and Jaemin wants to start a band, Renjun plays the guitar and Jeno knows how to drum a few beats. Their unorthodox vocalist comes in the form of the quick-witted classical singer, Donghyuck.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> yes the title was from 5sos' unpredictable what about it

The first day of their summer vacation starts with Renjun and Jeno laughing at Jaemin. “A band? You want to start a band?”

Renjun blames the sudden interest in forming a rock band to Jaemin’s older brother, Jaehyun who has never really gotten out of his emo boy phase from 2014. “You’re not serious, are you?”

Jaemin responds to him with a shrug of his shoulders, the bright smile never leaving his face as he sinks to the floor next to Jeno. Just like that, he melds against the parenthesis of Jeno’s body as the other boy holds him close. “I am.”

The mastermind turns to Jeno, eyes upturned in a hopeful smile. “What do you think? You, me and Renjunnie in a band. It would be great, we can outsell Green Day or something!”

But to that, Jeno disagrees. “They’re _Green Day_ , we can’t outsell Green Day.”

It’s way too hot outside and even the air-conditioning inside Jeno’s house isn’t helping. Renjun wonders why the two remain all huddled up together. Meanwhile, he remains lying on the couch, enjoying his personal space.

“I’m just exaggerating, but like… it would be a good idea, wouldn’t it? Renjun can be the main guitarist, Jeno’s the drummer—I mean look at these arms ( _he squeezes Jeno’s biceps and earns a yelp from the other_ ), definitely been drumming… and I… can be the bassist.”

Renjun kicks his feet up, wondering if the stretches he’s been doing can help him catch up to his friend’s heights. “You don’t play bass.”

The only flaw in the equation of course, was Jaemin not being able to play any instrument. Renjun has learned how to play the piano since he was younger and the interest in music doesn’t really stop after that, he picks up the guitar easily when he turned ten. While Jeno has recently gotten into drumming, the school band encouraging him to play even more than usual.

The easy way Jaemin manages to pry himself off of Jeno’s arms and crawl on top of Renjun always amused the eldest of the bunch. Jaemin’s straddling him, his hips trapped underneath Jaemin’s thighs and they’ve known each other long enough to be used to this. “You can teach me.”

Renjun frowns, tries to wriggle free from the other’s hold but his efforts remain futile as Jeno watches them with mirth. “I can, but I don’t want to.”

Jaemin frowns harder than Renjun does. “Why not? I’m a good student, I’m at the top of the class and I pick up languages easily.” He reasons out, and Renjun almost wants to squeeze his cheeks because he looks so cute.

It doesn’t take long before Jeno joins them on the couch, sitting by Renjun’s feet and rubbing his hand up and down his shin mindlessly. The three of them have never really been shy of being so close and intimate with each other, no matter how much Renjun pretends he doesn’t like it, the two still keep doing it.

“Jeno, you’re not going to side with him are you?” He peeks behind Jaemin and sees Jeno smiling, his eyes all up in crescents like the usual.

Renjun’s gaze shifts from Jaemin to Jeno, and the way they mirror each other’s enthusiasm almost scares him. It seems that these two share the same minds and Renjun is still learning how to deal with them. Either way, they always persuade him no matter what.

There’s a defeated sigh as he closes his eyes, and when he opens them again, Jaemin is smiling even wider if possible. “Fine, but if you don’t learn how to play the bass within a week, we’re not forming a band.”

 

***

 

Maybe forming a band with his two best friends isn’t that bad of an idea and maybe Jaemin is really picking up how to play the bass easier than Renjun thought.

They’re in Jeno’s garage with Jeno’s drumkit set up in the middle of the mess of car tires, gears and work tools that Renjun has no idea how to work. They’re setting up for their first _real_ band practice after Renjun deems Jaemin decent enough to start working on covering songs.

There’s a small table amongst them where Jaemin’s laptop rests, Renjun cradles his dear guitar with an arm as the other scrolls through Youtube, going over covers people have already done and looking for chords to follow.

Jaemin, apparently, has a bass guitar. Neither Jeno nor Renjun know where he obtained it from, but Jaemin says he has his ways. It’s probably his brother’s.

“Maybe we can do something simple?” Renjun suggests as Jeno starts to test out the skins of his drums, adjusting the tightness that binds it to the rim if needed. Jeno’s arms are out in their drummer glory, and Renjun wonders if he’s doing that on purpose.

Jaemin is sitting next to Renjun, looking over at the laptop screen with his chin perched upon Renjun’s shoulder. His chin digs slightly against his muscle, but Renjun doesn’t mind. “What do you mean by simple?”

They decide on making a Youtube channel, post a few covers and try to get some new fans before they try and play a liveshow. Renjun doesn’t think they’re that good yet to attempt a live show, but the optimism from his best friends make him smile.

“I don’t know, like Wonderwall? The guitar chords are so easy, basic.”

Jaemin starts humming the song to himself and before he voices out his agreement for Renjun’s suggestion, it’s Jeno that interrupts them from his seat behind his drum kit.

“No, that’s too basic. Too… it seems too effortless if it’s what we’re going to do for a first video?” He argues, clanging his stick against the cymbals.

Renjun has never seen Jeno this serious, and he decides that maybe, he needs to start taking this thing seriously too.

Jaemin nods quickly. “Yeah… I agree, what do you think, Renjunnie?”

Renjun looks at his best friends, a thin smile forming on his lips. “Sure, but… we need a vocalist, first.”

There’s a pause from between the three of them and they can almost hear a pin drop from the silence in the small garage. They haven’t thought of that.

 

***

 

Renjun isn’t confident in his voice. Jeno insists he can’t sing and Jaemin doesn’t even want to think about focusing on hitting the notes right while trying to not muck up his bass playing.

So now, the band of three is in a dilemma.

They retreated inside Jeno’s living room because the garage is getting way too hot and their minds are fried from thinking about the vocalist situation.

Jaemin turns to Renjun again, lemonade in his hands but Renjun shoots him a glare. Jaemin remains unfazed though. “Renjun, you can sing the best out of the three of us.”

Renjun munches on the cookie Jeno’s mother has set out for them when they came back sweaty from the garage. “That’s only because neither of you are good singers. That’s not saying something.”

Jeno has his arms crossed, a hand rubbing his chin as his face scrunches up as if he is in deep thought. Renjun almost wants to throw a cookie at him for thinking so hard.

“Jeno, careful, you might pop a vein from thinking too hard.” He jokes but Jeno blocks him out.

Jaemin still doesn’t stop pestering him. “Renjun-ah… come on, let’s try doing one cover with you singing and if you don’t like it and if it doesn’t get feedback, we can try something else.”

Renjun continues to shake his head. Nope, he’s not singing.

Jeno finally speaks up. “Renjun, just try… for us? Jaemin tried so hard to learn the bass, and you’re really a good singer, trust me.”

Here they are again, Tweedle-dee and Tweedledum ganging up on him to make him agree to their antics. He almost hates how weak he is for the combined begging puppy-eyed looks from the both of them.

It’s what Jaemin says next that has Renjun agreeing to him singing for their first cover video. “And… I’d hate if we have to like, hire a vocalist—I just want it to be three of us… we’re perfect.”

There’s a beat of silence, then Jeno’s small laughter fills the room and Renjun’s agreement follows in a quiet whisper. “Okay, I’ll sing.”

Jeno and Jaemin sandwich Renjun in a hug. He tries to get out of it with much protest, but he finds himself melting into their arms anyway.

Jaemin’s right, Renjun doesn’t want anyone else intruding their trio. It’s the three of them or nothing, it’s always been the three of them. Just the three of them.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Renjun sings, but he's nervous. Jaemin and Jeno gas him up. Mark, Jeno's older brother comes home from university.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> renjun has a panic attack in this one so thats just that

As it turns out, Renjun is a pretty damn good singer. This fact is common knowledge between Jeno and Jaemin but they never really push Renjun to sing without his voluntary consent. They’re always hearing him play his guitar and his piano, merely humming to the tune quietly but never singing the lyrics out loud.

They first hear Renjun’s voice in its full glory when Jeno finally obtained his student license last year, they took out his father’s car for a drive and turned the volume of the radio way up. Jeno and Jaemin were playfully singing to the old 2000’s song while Renjun easily belted out the high note.

They’re back in Jeno’s garage, this time with a functioning industrial fan to try and keep the heat out and the temperature bearable.

“Renjun, you’re _amazing_.” Jaemin says as his jaw drops in awe when Renjun finishes the first verse of Green Day’s Boulevard of Broken Dreams, the minus one audio recording of the song playing in the background.

Renjun bashfully stops the background music, pressing the spacebar on Jaemin’s laptop as his ears burn red. He’s with his two best friends and yet, he still feels conscious and anxious about singing in front of anyone. He definitely cannot do this live in front of an audience.

Jeno has his arms draped over Renjun’s shoulders, hugging him from behind to praise him for his singing. Renjun tries to pry Jeno away from him but with little success. “You’re so good, Renjunnie! You don’t have to be so shy, you have the voice of an angel.”

Jeno is leaning forward on him a bit, his weight heavy against Renjun’s back and the older slouches forward. Jaemin is next to them, excitedly shaking Renjun’s hand and playing with his fingers. These two cannot stop showering him with affection, and Renjun cannot stop himself from drowning in it.

Renjun sighs. The things he does for these two, to please them, to keep on seeing those smiles on their faces. He hasn’t sang in front of anyone in a very long time, it’s just something he has forgotten and something he has pushed into the very back of his mind.

“Gas me up one more time, I dare you.” It’s an empty threat that doesn’t _stop_ Jaemin and Jeno from gassing him up.

It takes a while for them to stop trying to plant kisses onto his cheeks, pulling him into tight hugs and generally man-handling him. Renjun thinks it’s because he’s tiny and they think they can fling him around so easily like this. He doesn’t think he minds.

But nothing other than playful attempts of pressing kisses against his cheeks to annoy him ever occurs between three of them. They’re not like _that_ , despite their closeness. And it’s weird to ever think of them like this, Renjun decides to stop himself before his thoughts go awry.

“So, now I sing… and Jaemin plays the bass and Jeno for the drums. I’m not sure if I can sing while playing the guitar, but I’ll try my best.”

From the way Jaemin and Jeno look at him with those eyes, he almost feels even smaller from the amount of adoration they shower him with. He doesn’t and will never know what it is he did to deserve Jeno and Jaemin, but he’s happy. He has them, and he’s happy.

Practice starts out easy, them trying to learn and memorize the chords. Jaemin is amazing at memorization, but it takes a while before his fingers coordinate with his mind for him to start playing the chords languidly. Jeno has to hit the rims of his drums instead because he always hits the skin with too much force, causing a loud sound that causes his mom to complain from inside the house. While Renjun, well, Renjun does his best to sing as he strums the proper chords.

It doesn’t take long before the chaotic mixture of music coming from three different instruments is joined with the loud rumbling of their stomachs. It’s Jeno that complains first, dropping his sticks as he tries to wrap band-aids around the blisters on his fingers from the friction of the drum sticks. “Let’s go get food.”

Renjun reaches out for Jeno’s hands, blowing softly on the reddened skin before he fastens the band-aid around his digit. Jeno thanks him with a small smile.

“Oh no, is it bad?” Jaemin asks when he rises from his chair, his brother’s bass guitar set down carefully. He takes Jeno’s other hand, inspecting it up close and Jeno lets out a sound of pain when Jaemin presses too hard.

“Sorry, sorry!” He blurts out, letting go of Jeno’s hand and Renjun pats Jaemin’s back.

Jeno shakes his head dismissively, retracts his hands and cocks his head to the direction of the door back inside the house. “Let’s head inside, I think we’ve done enough for today. My hands are fucked up.”

They head back inside, but Jaemin doesn’t stop fussing over Jeno. “I told you, don’t play too hard!”

Dinner is ready when they come into the dining room, Jeno’s mom smiling kindly at the trio and Jeno instinctively hides his hands behind him when she tells them she’s going out for a while for some margaritas with friends.

They wave her good-bye before they start to eat.

Unsurprisingly, Jaemin is still concerned for Jeno as he struggles to use his chopsticks with his fucked-up hands. Renjun concludes that the strain on Jeno’s hands is because he hasn’t had band practice in a while. Even if Jeno’s hands are calloused and rough from all the drumming, he still likes holding hands with him, he still likes the way they rub over his stomach when he has tummy aches.

Renjun eats, stuffing his cheeks to the brim with good and _free_ food.

“I’m gonna feed you. I can’t watch this atrocity.” Jaemin says determinedly, picking up his own chopsticks and Jeno is quick to drop his own, enjoying the doting side of Jaemin.

Renjun drinks some water, pushing down the masticated food. “Jeno, you shouldn’t play too hard, it’s just practice.”

Mid-bite, Jeno answers him. “I have to, because that means my fingers could get adjusted to the friction from the drum sticks. I can’t always have baby hands, being a drummer and all.”

Renjun understands, with passion comes pain and he remembers long winding nights when he would play piano over and over until his tiny fingers cramp up. Getting better at something takes hard work and passion, and Jeno is definitely one of the most passionate people he knows.

Still, Jaemin fusses over him and tells him not to get himself like this anymore. But Renjun knows it’s inevitable, in this path they’re trying to take, it takes a lot of hard work and pain.

They finish dinner with Jaemin alternating from feeding him and Jeno. At night fall, they decide to sleep over and play some video games.

Jeno’s bed is twin sized, enough for him to grow out of his limbs but not enough to fit three growing teenagers. But they make do, with Renjun in between because he lost in the rock paper scissors game, and they love how easily they can squish him in between them.

Renjun complains that it always gets stuffy when they sleep together, but in the middle of the night in between their arms is when Renjun finds himself sleeping the best.

 

***

 

Jeno’s older brother, Mark, comes home from university three days later. He’s studying Theory of Music or something cool like that, Renjun’s always been curious about him but Mark has always been too cool to hang out with them. He always has older friends.

So it feels weird to have him sitting with them in their garage, watching over them as they practice. Jeno really doesn’t want him around, but it’s Jaemin that insists they ask Mark if they can get his opinion.

Surely, they aren’t that experienced to have someone of Mark’s status to comment on their progress but he’s surprisingly nice. Nicer than Renjun ever thought he is.

“Who’s your vocalist?” He asks them, looking around expectantly with his hands clasped together.

Jeno gestures to Renjun. “He’s the best one out of us.”

Renjun’s hand meets his nape in a bashful smile.

Mark looks at Renjun with a smile. “Really? Can I hear you sing, then?”

Jaemin’s face lights up with his healing smile, excitedly looking at Renjun but the latter looks absolutely mortified.

His eyes are blown wide, his heart thumps inside of his chest and cold sweat trickles down the side of his neck. He swallows thickly, shaking his head. “I’m not that _good_ …”

Jeno feels Renjun’s tension under Mark’s gaze, but Jaemin beats him to speaking. “Renjun,” he drawls out the last syllable of his name, clinging to his arm and shaking him in persuasion, “please? You’re the best singer I’ve ever heard!”

Renjun opens his mouth to speak but his voice fails him. Why does the thought of singing in front of people that aren’t Jeno and Jaemin terrify him? Mark is nice, he has a kind smile and he has never raised his voice at them. And yet, Renjun trembles at the thought of letting him hear him sing.

Anxiety drums in his chest, the vein on his neck pulsates prominently in an erratic beat and it spreads an uncomfortable feeling to the tips of his fingers and toes. His pupils dilate, his hands go clammy as the silence continues to resonate within the room, as their expectations fall hard upon his shoulders.

“I’m sorry… I c-can’t…” His voice is shaky when he speaks and Mark looks concerned, Jaemin is confused and Jeno is just annoyed.

“That’s enough, you don’t have to sing if you don’t want to, Renjun.” He says as he pulls Renjun away from Jaemin’s side. Renjun sinks to the small space next to Jeno on his seat, half of him sitting on his lap.

Mark is quick to apologize. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

Still, Renjun is on edge and just nods his head. The arm around him makes him calm down, easing into his breathing as Jeno rubs a soothing motion on his leg. Jaemin looks apologetic.

Mark rises from his seat, bows his head curtly at Renjun and apologizes again. “I’ll go and give you some space, if you need me, I’ll be in my room.”

When Mark has gone, Jaemin erupts into his strings of apologies.

 

***

 

They stop practice after that, opting instead to relocate to Jaemin’s house in case Mark makes Renjun uncomfortable again. Renjun insists that it’s not that, and that he has just a huge problem with his anxiety about singing and it’s not Mark’s fault. Still, Jeno insists they move.

They’re sitting around Jaemin’s room, lying on the bean bags in front of his TV set and Renjun is cuddled up next to Jaemin, assuring him that his panic attack wasn’t because of him. The comforting way Jaemin treads his fingers through the locks of his hair elicits a soft sigh from Renjun.

“Guys, I can’t do it.” Renjun speaks during a commercial break.

Jaemin looks down at him and Jeno moves from the bed to the piles of bean bags. “You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to, Junnie.” Jeno tells him, pushing away strands of hair from his forehead with a warm smile.

Renjun’s gaze shifts from Jaemin to Jeno, and vice versa. They look at him with so much love and understanding, and Renjun only wants them to be happy.

“But you guys want it so much… Jaemin even learned how to play the bass and you fucked up your hands during practice…” He mumbles thoughtfully, taking each of their hands and twining them with his own.

Jaemin smiles. “That’s okay, it’s not your fault.”

Jeno supplies with agreement. “Yeah, and not like it’s super serious or anything—we weren’t expecting to be superstars from this. You’re more important.”

Renjun shakes his head. “But you wanted it, you really did. Not even superstar level, but you want us to perform. I feel it.”

Another bout of silence fills them, but this time it’s not uncomfortable, it’s just him and _his_ boys and Renjun feels at ease. But the silence is thoughtful, they share knowing looks and they almost expect it when Renjun opens his mouth next.

“We should… hire a vocalist.”

It’s not an unwelcomed thought, that thought has always been hanging in the air since they started the band project and with none of them wanting to really sing. Unless Renjun gets over his fear of singing ( _which_ , he knows won’t be for a long time), they need a vocalist.

But the shared looks from them only say one thing. They all _don’t_ want it. Having a vocalist means another person in their group, but for years, it has only been them. Renjun, Jeno and Jaemin. Not another one. That’s why it feels awkward to have Mark around, he sticks out like a sore thumb and the bond between the three of them is palpable.

A fourth member almost feels as if they are letting someone intrude on this _something_ beautiful they have. It feels wrong.

But Renjun still suggests it.

“It’s not so bad, you guys… that’s going to mean one more friend for us right? They might even be cool.” He argues, but the look from the two of his best friends doesn’t seem to hint at any glint of agreement.

He knows that they love being just the three of them as much as he does. But things change, and Renjun knows that it’s something they have to tell themselves to learn as they grow up.

It’s Jaemin that gives in first with his head nuzzled against Renjun’s neck and Renjun melts against him. “Okay, we’ll post up and advertisement of Facebook and Twitter or something.”

But Jeno voices out his discomfort with the idea. “You guys really want just someone else in our band? But us… the three of us, we’re perfect together, right?”

Jaemin and Renjun understand where Jeno is coming from. Renjun pulls Jeno down beside him and the younger is  quick to wrap strong arms around his small frame. “We are perfect together,” Renjun begins with an assurance, “but a vocalist wouldn’t be so bad, right? Plus, there’s going to be interviews and we won’t choose someone random—someone we like, someone that fits in with us.”

He wonders if their soon-to-be new member would be willing for cuddle sessions with them like this too.

Jeno grumbles but nuzzles his face against his side of Renjun’s neck. Renjun almost thinks Jaemin is falling asleep. “I think that’s going to be hard, not everyone can fit in with us.”

Renjun agrees with a hum, both of his hands combing through Jaemin’s and Jeno’s hairs. From an outside perspective, the spectacle of the three of them with limbs tangled together, too close for comfort would be odd. But to them, this is completely normal. This is what they are.

Jaemin sighs a hot breath against Renjun’s skin and it makes him shiver. “We’ll be fine, let’s just nap for now.”

A few minutes later, Jaemin’s room is filled with soft snores and Renjun finally feels calm.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark has a suggestion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> markhyuck ?? maybe i'll proof read this soon idk when

It’s Mark that comes up with a suggestion the morning after they post up their advertisement on their different social media accounts. They don’t really have a lot of friends, considering how much time they spend with each other and not letting anyone in. So they have to resort to finding someone from the internet.

After seeing their advertisement, Mark relays information to Jeno over breakfast about this really _great_ vocalist he knows. Jeno doesn’t really trust Mark’s taste when it comes to music. Jeno prefers rock and Mark prefers R &B and his odd love for Mozart. Still, he muses him. They don’t have much of an option anyway.

It’s the usual afternoon spent at Jeno’s house, Renjun now much comfortable with Mark being around and Jaemin just being his usual gregarious self. Mark’s in the kitchen with Jaemin, making them candied fruit. They don’t really hear much except Jaemin’s gaps of horror from Mark’s atrocious kitchen skills. It’s cute that he tries though.

“So, what do you think about the guy Mark recommended?” Jeno asks Renjun as they sit around the coffee table in the living room, Renjun’s laptop open as they wait for responses from their advertisement.

Renjun doesn’t really have much to base his opinion on save for the blurry photo from the depths of Facebook that Mark has pulled up. Renjun’s sure that this photo was from 2009 or something because the kid looks so young with his curly brown hair and round face. Mark tells them that the said vocalist doesn’t really do social media, and is a very private person so this is the best he can do.

Renjun ponders over the photo for a moment, closing the little window of the photo from his laptop. “I don’t know, we still have to hear him sing. Is Mark sure he can come over?”

“Totally,” Mark answers, balancing the plate of candied fruit as he makes his way to them. He sets the plate down on the coffee table, pushing the bunch of papers away and Jaemin follows next to him with a pitcher of watermelon punch because Mark needed his watermelon.

Renjun picks up a stick and begins to nibble, waiting as Mark expounds on his point. Jaemin does the same, sitting close to Renjun.

“He lives in another neighbourhood, but I know him through common friends. He’s into music, likes Michael Jackson, Beyoncé, Mariah Carey and oh boy, he’s super into Queen. Bought vinyl records and everything, I think you’ll like him!” Mark is enthusiastic as he talks, obviously happy to help his little brothers.

Renjun chews on the candied fruit, the sweetness spreading upon his taste buds as he shares glances with his best friends. The guy sounds pretty cool, and he owns vinyl records. He must have a turntable then. But he wonders, how can someone be that cool be into joining three boys in an attempt to form a band?

“How old is he?” Renjun pulls up the photo again. “Mark hyung… he looks about nine in this photo.”

Mark laughs at the image of the guy. “Oh! He’s your age, like I said, he doesn’t really post on social media. But he’s cool.”

Jeno gets up from his spot on the couch and eats. “Why would he want to be in a band?” Renjun laughs a little, glad that Jeno has addressed the elephant in the room.

Jaemin turns to Mark, and so does Renjun.

“He said he’s bored, he’s tired of classical singing so he wanted to try something? I thought it would be the perfect opp—”

“Hold up.” Jeno raises his hand and Renjun’s and Jaemin’s jaws drop in sync.

“He’s a classical singer?” Jaemin supplies, his eyebrows furrowed both in shock and in confusion.

Mark closes his mouth, his grin fading away from his visage as he realizes what he has said. “Yeah…? But he’s into Queen… that’s a rock band isn’t it?”

Renjun laughs nervously, ends up choking on his fruit that Jaemin has to clap his back to help him recover and Jeno hands him a glass of water quickly. “Wow, a whole classical singer… how can we reject him?”

Jeno asks Mark. “Can you show us some his performances? It must be on Youtube or something right?”

Mark shakes his head, the smile on his face coming back. “No, he performs in theatres, and you can’t take videos in theatres.”

Jaemin lets out a small ‘ _wow’_. “He sounds like a big-timer.”

“He’s super lowkey though, like… I swear, he’s super chill, he’d be the perfect piece to complete your puzzle.”

Renjun ponders over Mark’s choice of words, a small smile stretching his lips at the imagery. They were puzzle pieces, and the three of them completed each other. A puzzle that never had a missing piece.

Jaemin turns to Jeno and Renjun. “So, what do you guys say? Should we call him over?”

The three of them share a look, and Renjun glances at Mark who looks too excited.

Renjun nods and so does Jeno. “Yeah, that would be cool.”

 

**

 

They don’t know what they’ve been expecting, really. But the kid barely an inch taller than Renjun clad in the tightest ripped jeans he’s ever seen with kohl lining his pretty, sparkling eyes isn’t it. Is he really a classical singer? What’s up with that hair colour a mix of orange and some sort of a rusty brown? What is up with him?

He says he’s Donghyuck and he greets Mark with much familiarity (they have a _handshake_ , goddammit) and Renjun thinks they’re much closer than Mark lets on.

“Hi, I’m Donghyuck and I sing.” Is how he introduces himself to the three after Mark excuses himself. They’re situated in Jeno’s living room again, the official band meeting place and it’s almost ridiculous how equally surprised the three of them look.

He has a hoodie pulled over his head, his hands shoved into the pockets of his jacket. Donghyuck shifts on his toes and heels alternately as they stare him up and as friendly as ever, it’s Jaemin that breaks the awkward silence.

“Hi! I’m Jaemin, this is Jeno and that’s Renjun. Really nice of you to come all the way here.” Jaemin offers a hand out for a shake and Donghyuck takes it.

“C’mon guys,” Donghyuck starts, an arm already slung over Jaemin’s shoulders as he laughs as if he has known them all his life. Renjun is surprised to say the least. Donghyuck looks to Jeno, then to Renjun and—he winks at him. “Hey… no offense, I know I’m a full course meal but are you guys going to keep checking me out or are we gonna jam?”

And that’s enough for Renjun’s ears to burn and for Jeno to clear his throat. “Right, let’s see how well you sing, Donghyuck.”

Donghyuck has an air of undeniable confidence around him, one that kind of fills the whole room with his presence just by standing there. He holds himself in the way Renjun can only wish he is able to. And, while he is mildly intimidated, he can’t say that he isn’t as intrigued as well.

“Just call me Hyuck.”

Renjun smiles at him. “Okay, Hyuck. Let’s see how well you sing.”

 

**

 

They do end up jamming and surprisingly bonding over some Queen and Fall Out Boy. When Mark mentioned Donghyuck being a classical singer, he forgot to mention the part that he is literally the best singer in the entire world.

That might be an exaggeration, but he’s never heard anyone sing Bohemian Rhapsody more beautifully than Donghyuck. Renjun can practically hear the years of training and discipline in his voice, so crystal clear and high pitched but all the same pleasing to the ears. Kind of reminds him of a Disney song he can’t quite put his tongue on.

He can’t seem to see anything wrong with Donghyuck, he has great vocals, great music taste and an even greater personality to boot. It doesn’t take long before they discover how much of a great mood maker he is, always cracking jokes and making them laugh.

His jokes are amazing, always has Renjun doubled over because his tummy hurts from all the laughing. He’s never laughed this hard since Jeno began an interest on making puns out of everything. Needless to say, Renjun likes him.

It’s dark out when they finally finish through Fall Out Boy’s most recent discography and Donghyuck promises to show them his vinyl records and turntable next time. (His older brother bought it for him, apparently and now Renjun knows who has the coolest older brother out of all his friends).

“I need to head home.” Donghyuck cuts their session short, pulling his phone out of the AUX cord. There’s a whine from Jaemin, a pout prominent upon his eternally chapped lips. Renjun reminds himself to put lip balm on Jaemin later.

He thought Jeno may be slightly apprehensive of Donghyuck with the latter being his older brother’s friend and all, but it’s really the opposite. Jeno’s eyes have never reappeared since Donghyuck’s appearance because he’s been smiling so much his cheeks hurt. “Is Mark hyung driving you back?” Jeno asks curiously and Renjun knows he’s willing to jump at the opportunity to drive Donghyuck home.

Donghyuck slips his phone into the pocket of his hoodie, throwing the cap over his head once more. There’s something light about Donghyuck that Renjun can’t place, but Renjun likes the light-hearted atmosphere Donghyuck seems to bring with him.

“Uh-huh, he promised he’d get me a McBurger on the way back home, can’t let that go you know?” Donghyuck finishes gathering his things and Renjun can almost feel the other two’s sadness that he’s going to leave.

Donghyuck turns to them with a smile, looking around as if he’s expecting for them to say something but they all just give him similar looks of confusion. Then, Donghyuck laughs.

“Dudes, come on… am I in the band or what? Don’t say that I’m not ‘cause after all we’ve been through?” He feigns hurt, a hand coming to clasp at his heart and the three are quick to jump and deny his accusation.

“No!” Renjun says, a little too loudly that his voice stands out and they all look at him in surprise. “I mean…” He swallows, straightening his clothes and clearing his throat. “I mean that… you’re in the band, right guys?”

Jeno and Jaemin share a look, and a similar expression of glee spreads upon their countenance. “Yes! You’re in, man. Welcome to the band!”

And out of nowhere does Donghyuck pull them in a huddle, similar to the guys in the football team does whenever they’re about to start the game or their practice. He puts their hands out together, unsure of what they’re doing and yet they cheer and throw their hands up in the air.

“Next up, band name!” Donghyuck announces as he embraces them in a group hug. Renjun sees the expression on Jaemin’s and Jeno’s faces and he knows that they are enjoying this as much as he is.

They pull away when Mark yells from the outside that him and his car are ready to go. “Yo, Junnie. I’m gonna wait for that groupchat, you better add me.” He shoots Renjun a finger gun as he pulls away.

Renjun nods, assuring him as he crosses his heart and raises his palm. “I promise.”

They’re saying their endless goodbyes, still throwing jokes at one another before Mark honks his car once again. And in the midst of all the laughter and the jokes and the light-heartedness of it all, Donghyuck manages to press kisses to each of their cheeks before he bolts right out of the house with a wave of his hand.

Jaemin is laughing nervously as he watches Donghyuck disappear, Jeno’s jaw is slack and Renjun smiles at the warmth on his cheek. Yeah, he likes Donghyuck.

 

***

 

“Jeno, stop freaking out. It’s not like that’s your first kiss.” Jaemin teases when Donghyuck has gone and they’re playing video games in Jeno’s room. Yet, Jeno is still gushing (he’s not gushing, Jeno will argue) about how Donghyuck just kissed the three of them. His hand is pressed against his cheek, just right where Donghyuck kissed him.

Of course it’s not Jeno’s first kiss. Jaemin is Jeno’s first kiss, and well… Renjun kissed Jaemin and Jeno wanted a kiss too. He kind of considers the two of them his first kiss, but that was when they were kids and imitated the adults around them. The thought of kissing _them_ now is a wild thought in his head. Despite Jaemin and Jeno’s constant attempts to kiss him, he knows they’re only kidding around and won’t actually do it.

“I’m not freaking out.” Jeno denies defensively, dropping the controller upon Renjun’s lap for him to take over the game of Mario Kart he is losing to Jaemin.

“That’s okay if you have a crush.” Renjun teases him too, eyes not prying away from the television screen. And even if he can’t see him, he knows Jeno is blushing beet red.

Jaemin lets out a low whistle, and Renjun can tell he wants to pull the truth out of Jeno but the latter’s disgruntled noise as he plops onto his bed dismisses the two of them completely.

It’s really surprising how easily the three of them accept Donghyuck into their group with open arms. At first, Renjun worried that they would be awkward but Donghyuck’s personality made no room for an awkward situation with his quick wit and sometimes and even quicker mouth. He doesn’t know how it happened, but he finds himself easily enamoured with the thought of seeing Donghyuck again.

From his side, Jaemin cannot stop talking about Donghyuck, and Renjun listens to him amusedly. He throws Jeno a glance, knowing that he’s listening in on their conversation and his hums of silent agreement confirms his suspicion.

It’s after that Mario Kart game when Renjun finally pulls out his phone and makes a group chat for the band. He already has a group chat with Jeno and Jaemin, but he still makes a new one with Donghyuck in it. Something tells him that his old group chat with three people will soon get buried under the myriad of messages from the four peopled group chat.

Renjun sends a simple smiling emoji to the new group chat. Donghyuck replies within seconds. “Finally.” He says, accompanied with the rolling eyes emoji and Renjun cannot help but laugh.

He apologizes for his tardiness and as if on cue do Jaemin and Jeno pull out their phones to read the messages.

Donghyuck whines about wanting to send them memes but being unable to, but now he can and he spends the entire night sending them funny videos and photos from the depths of the internet.

And in the dim of Jeno’s room as _thnks fr th mmrs_ plays in the background with them peering into the screens of their phones and typing away excitedly does three become _four_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> p.s. taking suggestions for the band name :]


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They decide on a band name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i dont know how to feel about this chapter. lmao

Jeno does not have a crush, thank you very much.

Despite Renjun and Jaemin’s insistence that he has an itty bitty little crush on Donghyuck because of the way that he cannot get over the fact that Donghyuck kissed him— _them_ , Jeno adamantly denies any accusation of a crush. How could they even indict him of something so sinister? Something so out of this world?!

He tries not to think about it, but he does think about it as he lies in his bed, spending a late night up talking to Donghyuck because Donghyuck is so funny, and Donghyuck replies fast and Jeno kind of likes the attention.

Jeno cannot even remember the last time he’s had a crush, or if he’s ever had one for that matter. He has always been fed with love and attention from his two best friends that he doesn’t find the need to even look at another for some sort of validation. Their relationship is fulfilling, he loves the easiness of their dynamics that Jeno doesn’t even dare look away from them. Renjun and Jaemin comprise his comfort zone. How could he ever leave something so wonderful?

Then, one day, Donghyuck decides to amble into their life with his funny jokes and funky orange hair that looks so pretty in contrast to his tanned skin.

Okay, so maybe he does have a tiny crush. But he blames this on the fact that Donghyuck is _new_ and Jeno is easily overwhelmed. It’s certainly not _that_ kind of crush.

A friend-crush, perhaps. If that’s even a thing. But all Jeno knows is that he likes talking to Donghyuck, and he likes being around Donghyuck. Almost as much as he likes talking to Renjun and Jaemin.

Donghyuck is charming and ten times funnier than he can ever be. Jeno can’t say no if one asks him if he admires Donghyuck. In the short amount of time he’s spent with the younger, he already knows this. He admires Donghyuck.

Jeno falls asleep mid-typing and tomorrow, Donghyuck will whine at him for falling asleep on him.

 

**

 

Jaemin finds out that Jeno and Renjun has been texting Donghyuck throughout the next day. His suspicion begins when the other two has suddenly stopped replying to their group chat (with just them _three_ ) right after the chat including Donghyuck began.

Don’t get him wrong, he likes Donghyuck. And he knows that Renjun and Jeno both like Donghyuck. But he still thinks that they should pay attention to their _original_ group chat. It’s not even a problem that they’re excited to hang with Donghyuck and talk to him but Jaemin doesn’t like how things are changing so fast around him.

As friendly as he is, and as much as he’s the one that always tries to introduce new things and new people to Renjun and Jeno, he still can’t help but feel as if the situation is out of his control.

It isn’t that he’s the leader of the pack and they need to follow him or something like that—for so long he has gotten himself used to being the _mood maker_ of the group, he takes pride in making Jeno and Renjun smile but now that Donghyuck is here and all of their attention is poured towards Donghyuck, he can’t help but feel a little bit jealous. As if Donghyuck is stealing his thunder.

“Guys, stop texting Hyuck…” He mumbles as he impatiently taps the eraser end of the pencil against the notebook he’s been scribbling possible band names on. Renjun and Jeno are still on their phones, giggling over some joke Donghyuck said and Jaemin fights the biggest urge to roll his eyes.

But once Renjun senses the seriousness in his voice and the piercing gaze sends a cold shiver down Jeno’s spine, they both drop their phones and join him on the floor.

“Are you okay?” Jeno asks, his hand quick to rub circles on Jaemin’s back. Renjun unwraps a piece of candy and feeds it to Jaemin, which he gladly accepts.

Jaemin nods his head and drops the sharpness of his gaze. His eyes are soft when he looks at them again. “We’re supposed to be thinking of band names and then practicing but you guys keep being on your phones…”

There’s this feeling of tightness in his chest when he sees the look of remorse on their faces. But this feels better than the clench he feels as he bottles up his annoyance. Jaemin doesn’t want his insecurities slipping past the gaps of his fingers, but the holder he holds on to them, the quicker they spill out.

Renjun sits in front of him, cupping his cheek with a hand and Jaemin leans against his touch. “Is our baby annoyed the hyungs aren’t paying attention?” The smile on his face tells him that Renjun is only kidding, but Jaemin nods his head with a small pout.

“You guys don’t pay attention to me anymore… ever since Hyuck…” But Jaemin cuts himself off before he says something he doesn’t mean.

Renjun coos at him as Jeno shakes his head fervently. “Jaem! It’s not like that, we love you!” Jeno is quick to deflect his words, head leaning against Jaemin’s shoulder as he continues to rub circles upon his back.

“Jaem… it’s just that, Hyuck’s a new friend and we want him to feel welcomed. That’s what you always told us right? Don’t be afraid to meet new people?” Renjun tries and Jaemin hears the sincerity in his words.

But it’s not as if Jaemin is afraid of meeting new people, what he’s afraid of is _his_ boys falling for another. He isn’t as ready for this as he thought he is. Or maybe he is just overthinking this, the newness of the situation surprising him and he should just let it go and let time pass to see how things will turn out.

Jaemin has never really regarded himself as a possessive person, but when it comes to Jeno and Renjun, these feelings ignite a fire inside of him and he can’t seem to control it no matter how he tries to talk himself out of it. He’s not being irrational, is he?

Jaemin sighs as he plops back down on the floor, his back hits the cold wood and Jeno lies next to him. Renjun makes a pillow out of his stomach.

“I feel weird.” He starts, knowing that he can tell anything to the two of them without the fear of being judged.

“Why?” Renjun muses him, his head rising and falling to the rhythm of Jaemin’s breathing.

Jaemin tries to find the words to say, to make it as digestible as possible without all of the jealousy spilling out of his mouth. He never liked talking about bad things, but he’s afraid that this green monster inside of him will eat him up if he doesn’t let it go.

“Hyuck’s so funny and cool, what if you guys stop laughing at my jokes? Don’t deny it, you ignored the last message I sent to _our_ group chat. It was a funny meme too, it made me laugh for ten minutes!” Saying it out loud feels ridiculous, but he can’t deny how much he likes the lightness he feels afterwards.

Renjun and Jeno both erupt into synchronized laughter, Jaemin whines in reply.

“Jaemin… you’re jealous because we didn’t reply to your message in our group chat? Is that why you’ve been so quiet in the other group chat?” Renjun turns to his side to look up at Jaemin’s face but Jaemin covers his face with his arm.

This is embarrassing.

“Don’t make fun of me… I was upset.”

Jeno brings his arm down and envelopes him in a hug. Renjun starfishes on top of them right after.

“Jaemin, you’ll always be our Jaemin. No one can replace you.” Jeno tells him with a laugh, and Jaemin realizes that he wants to make Jeno laugh forever.

Renjun looks at him with as much fondness as Jeno does and Jaemin feels warm all over. “Jaemin, we might have a new friend but the three of us will always be special. You know that. He’s going to be our band member so of course we want to treat him with kindness.”

Now, Jaemin just feels absurd for feeling as if he’s going to be rejected or replaced by his two best friends. Jealousy clouded his mind and his opinion of Donghyuck. But as Renjun fluffs his cheeks and Jeno tickles him, Jaemin comes to the realization that they are irreplaceable.

Donghyuck is good. And Jaemin likes Donghyuck. And Donghyuck makes Renjun and Jeno happy. If he’s someone that makes the most treasured people in his life happy, then Jaemin likes him too.

It’s not a subtraction but rather an addition. Jaemin has to keep that in mind.

Later, Donghyuck texts Jaemin first. Jaemin replies within seconds. Perhaps warming up to the actual sun that lights up their life isn’t as hard as Jaemin thinks it is.

 

**

 

The next time they meet as four is three days later because Donghyuck got busy. But that’s okay, the three of them still meet up during the three days but they mostly just toss around random band names and try to practice a few more songs that Donghyuck suggested. They know Donghyuck can catch up easily, he’s technically a professional now among a bunch of amateurs.

And well, he does catch up easily. Renjun has written down minutes of their so-called ‘band meetings’ and has given them to Donghyuck once they have settled in the living room with burgers (courtesy of Mark) in their hands.

Just as he promised, Donghyuck brought his vinyl records and turntable. It’s a bit of struggle to bring them over, but Mark is kind enough to pick-up Donghyuck again so they sit safely in Mark’s car during the ride here. They’re playing Prince and Donghyuck’s going over the notebook Renjun has messily scrawled the transcript of their band meetings on.

Said transcript contains ideas of silly band names, mostly coming from Jeno and improved by Jaemin. Renjun makes a little note at the bottom of the page that he has no contribution on the amalgamation of atrocities in this notebook whatsoever.

“Four Seconds to Seoul?” Donghyuck picks one from the list and laughs, looking up at his bandmates and Jaemin can feel himself burning under his gaze. It’s Jaemin’s idea, stealing already established band names and making it his own. Renjun thinks it’s a bad idea but that doesn’t stop Jaemin and his suggestions.

Jaemin raises his hands up in defence. “I thought it sounded good!”

Renjun leans back on his seat, arms crossed as a smile play along his lips. “I’m not even from Korea.”

Donghyuck takes a pencil and strikes out the name. “Okay, no Seoul or location related names then.”

Jeno scrambles up to his feet to get next to Donghyuck, pointing at the set of names he had suggested days ago. “What about my opinion? I think they’re all pretty great.”

Donghyuck’s eyes follow the direction of Jeno’s finger and his ideas seem promising. “I like your choices, Jeno. All new millennium related.” Jeno’s ideas had a unifying theme—the new generation, the 21st century. They’re all related to them being born at the start of the new century.

“So are we going to choose one of Jeno’s picks?” Jaemin asks from his end of the couch, his hand cradling his bass guitar. Apparently, his brother has now given it to him after much argument involving Jaemin blackmailing Jaehyun. So Jaemin now very much claims the guitar as his.

Donghyuck lets out a sharp exhale as he leans forward on the coffee table and begins to scribble quite aggressively onto the notebook. Renjun doesn’t really care what band name they choose, he just wants to play his guitar and post a cover already.

“I believe in democracy so I think we should vote, but also, since I am the person with the most refined taste among us—I’ve chosen some of the best among this bunch with my own contribution. Then we vote.” Donghyuck speaks with much eloquence and conviction that the three cannot help but listen to him. Donghyuck is leading them so easily, despite only knowing him for less than a week.

They all huddle around Donghyuck and there’s a neat list of names from the mess that is the previous page. There are about five final candidates for the band name, all ranging from a phrase to a number. There are those written in English and some in Korean. The English must have probably come from Donghyuck.

They all have different yet similar tastes, but Renjun speaks up first with his pointer finger landing on the last scribbled potential band name. “I kind of like… We Young…” 

There’s a chorus of silent agreement from Jaemin and Jeno as Donghyuck looks at them with slight surprise. The predicament they have found themselves in about finding a band name doesn’t seem to be as complicated as they think it is. With Renjun, Jeno and Jaemin seeming to have the same tastes when it comes to everything—it’s only Donghyuck that’s left to agree.

Donghyuck begins to notice how in sync the three appear to be when their gazes fall upon him all at the same time. He laughs to himself, sitting back up on the couch and propping his feet up on the coffee table. “Right, We Young.”

“Does this mean I won?” Renjun asks curiously as he closes the notebook and opens up his laptop to finally set up their Youtube channel, Facebook page, Twitter—all the good stuff. They’re really taking this _seriously_. When they finally get that first cover video up, things will start to heat up.

Jeno laughs. “It’s not a competition.” He says while being the most competitive person Renjun has ever known. “We just happen to like the same thing Hyuck suggested.”

Jaemin takes over Renjun’s laptop, creating official ( _as official an amateur band goes_ ) accounts for their band. Renjun doesn’t get rid of the smug smile on his face because technically, he chose the band name without having to come up with anything.

There’s a small smile that plays upon Donghyuck’s face that distracts Renjun from arguing with Jeno. “Hyuck, you seem happy about the band name?”

Donghyuck laughs and shakes his head. “No, it’s not the band name—just, I’m really glad you guys accepted me to your band.”

Renjun pulls a face. “Are you going to go all sappy on us now?”

Pulling away from the laptop screen, Jaemin looks at Donghyuck. “Why did you even decide to join us in the first place, Hyuck? I mean, any band would want you to be their vocalist!”

The boy in question furrows his brows. “Why, don’t you guys want me here? Wow, I’m offended—”

Jeno is quick to butt in. “No, Hyuck. It’s not that, you’re literally a classical singer, you’re literally a professional and Jaemin just started learning how to play the bass a few week ago!” There’s a protest from Jaemin at that unwarranted expose.

Renjun supplies. “What we mean—we never really got why you wanted to join a bunch of teenagers in an amateur band, you can probably even become a K-POP star with your talent, not a vocalist of… this band.”

Donghyuck frowns as he looks around his bandmates. The look on Donghyuck’s visage is tense, his lips pulled back in a tight line as his bangs fall to his eyes. “I just wanted to try something new. And Mark hyung said you were all cool but I kinda think he’s lying, you guys are totally lame.”

Jaemin whines, hits him playfully on the leg as the bunch erupts in laughter. “We’re the coolest. You just have bad taste, Hyuck.”

And almost in a snap, the tense look on Donghyuck has ebbed away as he tackles Jaemin into a play wrestling match. Jeno tries to pull them apart but ends up being involved in the squabble. Renjun takes his phone and begins to video the entire fight. This’ll be good content for their Facebook page later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im worried about the pacing, or if it's too boring but i promise it gets interesting real soon :^))

**Author's Note:**

> [twt](https://twitter.com/xuxikr) // [cc](https://curiouscat.me/xuxikr)


End file.
